1. Title, director and release year? ‘Energy Crossroads: A Burning Need to Change Course,’ directed by Chris Fauchere (2007) 2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film? It’s clear from the title that the film brings its audience to the final destination: the ultimate decision that must be made in order to adopt and follow the right path that will lead us into the future. A brief history lesson of where our energy-crazy mindsets were born is brought up to the current where changes in standards and demands are beginning to surface, separating us from the pipeline. Continuing in our current ways will surely lead us into a ravine, but since it’s coming down to the wire, people are realizing that we don’t have much time left, leaving the industrialized countries to turn to those no yet industrialized for sustainable options. 3. What sustainability problems does the film draw out? Cultural: - after the Industrial Revolution, thoughts that infinite resources would provide and maintain growth are still kept alive today; since we were born into cheaper energy, we take it for granted and are finding it hard to step away from our conventional methods since we subconsciously were born to believe that it will always be there for us - houses have grown 50% within the last few years; brings to surface the simple argument of heating large spaces versus warming people with clothing, blankets (saving energy in the most obvious ways) - rethinking cities: their design and use (environmental and social changes leading communities to reach out to ideas that we should be more self-sufficient and not limited to skyscrapers) - cultural and psychological habits that need to be broken (e.g. car racing) Technological: - redesigning the growth and transport of food; currently 10 Calories are spent per Calorie of food - landfills are full of wasted resources, but the era of peak oil is beginning to change mindsets about resources available (e.g. methane capture from landfills) Political: - changes in foreign policy due to oil need/availability; US and China will probably end up competing for last oil reserves if no renewable energy is implemented - the lack of political backing to lead countries forward; local governments and initiatives are fantastic, but these won’t provide the large-scale change the world is demanding Economic/behavioral: - targeting the economy leads to the impact on people’s pockets which changes ambition before the possible environmental change/impact (e.g. companies will go ‘green’ if it saves them production costs before acknowledging that it’s helping the environment) 4. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why? - Statistics that U.S. consumes 25% of the world’s energy, but only makes up 5% of world’s population…this might make sense if we were exporting everything we made to other countries, but that’s not where most of our energy is wasted (e.g. car production, transportation within the country) - Today’s cars are no more efficient than Ford’s first models…you think we would have made a difference within the past 90 years - The world is very quickly approaching peak oil, but the population will continue to grow even after peak oil has been reached, causing problems of production, consumption, transportation; the planet can’t sustain the amount of people we already have now, so even more people will only make the problem worse - the New Belgium Brewing Company provided a lightened aspect to the energy shift: their “green” practices were interwoven with the company’s mutual consideration for employees and the environment 5. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? - if companies that are dependent on fossil fuels feel that their prosperity is at risk in the initiative to find and implement renewable energy resources, they should embrace the change in driving the energy transition/transformation by finding their own ways to fit into the system; this will save jobs and possibly still provide economic growth - even though states are demanding changes, and while I have hope for small changes added up to a big change, the infrastructure needs to be established throughout the entire country before major outlets are being created – alleviating problems of having to get rid of those systems already set in place - I understand the pressure on the current generation to push for change and see it implemented, but I think that the lack of political support isn’t going to allow us to make it happen…it’s going to be a very timely and drawn out process (despite the demand from the people), and I don’t know if the Earth can wait for us to catch up to our mistakes and allow us to fix them in time 6. What additional information does this film compel you to seek out? Where do you want to dig deeper and what connections do you want to make with other issues, factors, problems, etc.? - the practicality of renewable energy to provide production of the renewable resources (e.g. solar panels, etc.) that were once fueled by fossil fuels…will they stand up to the challenge? A lot of the talk surrounding renewable energy isn’t applied to larger production regions like car production or the forging of steel, but rather domestic uses - how to down-scale large operations to fit the energy available (e.g. cranes used for construction, quarry mines, etc.); how do just stop using (and get rid of) the large cranes, dump trucks, etc.? 7. What audiences does the film best address? What kind of imagination is fostered in viewers? Do you think the film is likely to change the way viewers think about and act on environmental problems? - certainly it won’t convince everyone to go out and buy a couple solar panels, but maybe the film will entice people to learn more about community initiatives or seek out governmental action that’s taking place; taking the initiative to know more will only allow them to use that knowledge to find answers to problems and empower them to educate more people in what they can do to help the situation 8. What kinds of action or points of intervention are suggested by the film? - starting small is always the best place to start: utilizing 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) - humans are the biggest agent of change: industrialized countries need to work with countries trying to industrialize to find sustainable options - new paradigm: consumer choice not only in goods, but products currently in place to use renewable energy (e.g. solar panels) - states are driving change with the “ballot initiative” by the people, not the representatives in D.C.; start small and set demands from the states, then work on the entire country by showing successes 9. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value? - more information about self-education, as well as political information of where people can start to be involved in the implementation of legislation that will hopefully lead to a nation-wise initiative
‘Energy Crossroads: A Burning Need to Change Course,’ directed by Chris Fauchere (2007)
2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
It’s clear from the title that the film brings its audience to the final destination: the ultimate decision that must be made in order to adopt and follow the right path that will lead us into the future. A brief history lesson of where our energy-crazy mindsets were born is brought up to the current where changes in standards and demands are beginning to surface, separating us from the pipeline. Continuing in our current ways will surely lead us into a ravine, but since it’s coming down to the wire, people are realizing that we don’t have much time left, leaving the industrialized countries to turn to those no yet industrialized for sustainable options.
3. What sustainability problems does the film draw out?
Cultural:
- after the Industrial Revolution, thoughts that infinite resources would provide and maintain growth are still kept alive today; since we were born into cheaper energy, we take it for granted and are finding it hard to step away from our conventional methods since we subconsciously were born to believe that it will always be there for us
- houses have grown 50% within the last few years; brings to surface the simple argument of heating large spaces versus warming people with clothing, blankets (saving energy in the most obvious ways)
- rethinking cities: their design and use (environmental and social changes leading communities to reach out to ideas that we should be more self-sufficient and not limited to skyscrapers)
- cultural and psychological habits that need to be broken (e.g. car racing)
Technological:
- redesigning the growth and transport of food; currently 10 Calories are spent per Calorie of food
- landfills are full of wasted resources, but the era of peak oil is beginning to change mindsets about resources available (e.g. methane capture from landfills)
Political:
- changes in foreign policy due to oil need/availability; US and China will probably end up competing for last oil reserves if no renewable energy is implemented
- the lack of political backing to lead countries forward; local governments and initiatives are fantastic, but these won’t provide the large-scale change the world is demanding
Economic/behavioral:
- targeting the economy leads to the impact on people’s pockets which changes ambition before the possible environmental change/impact (e.g. companies will go ‘green’ if it saves them production costs before acknowledging that it’s helping the environment)
4. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
- Statistics that U.S. consumes 25% of the world’s energy, but only makes up 5% of world’s population…this might make sense if we were exporting everything we made to other countries, but that’s not where most of our energy is wasted (e.g. car production, transportation within the country)
- Today’s cars are no more efficient than Ford’s first models…you think we would have made a difference within the past 90 years
- The world is very quickly approaching peak oil, but the population will continue to grow even after peak oil has been reached, causing problems of production, consumption, transportation; the planet can’t sustain the amount of people we already have now, so even more people will only make the problem worse
- the New Belgium Brewing Company provided a lightened aspect to the energy shift: their “green” practices were interwoven with the company’s mutual consideration for employees and the environment
5. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by?
- if companies that are dependent on fossil fuels feel that their prosperity is at risk in the initiative to find and implement renewable energy resources, they should embrace the change in driving the energy transition/transformation by finding their own ways to fit into the system; this will save jobs and possibly still provide economic growth
- even though states are demanding changes, and while I have hope for small changes added up to a big change, the infrastructure needs to be established throughout the entire country before major outlets are being created – alleviating problems of having to get rid of those systems already set in place
- I understand the pressure on the current generation to push for change and see it implemented, but I think that the lack of political support isn’t going to allow us to make it happen…it’s going to be a very timely and drawn out process (despite the demand from the people), and I don’t know if the Earth can wait for us to catch up to our mistakes and allow us to fix them in time
6. What additional information does this film compel you to seek out? Where do you want to dig deeper and what connections do you want to make with other issues, factors, problems, etc.?
- the practicality of renewable energy to provide production of the renewable resources (e.g. solar panels, etc.) that were once fueled by fossil fuels…will they stand up to the challenge? A lot of the talk surrounding renewable energy isn’t applied to larger production regions like car production or the forging of steel, but rather domestic uses
- how to down-scale large operations to fit the energy available (e.g. cranes used for construction, quarry mines, etc.); how do just stop using (and get rid of) the large cranes, dump trucks, etc.?
7. What audiences does the film best address? What kind of imagination is fostered in viewers? Do you think the film is likely to change the way viewers think about and act on environmental problems?
- certainly it won’t convince everyone to go out and buy a couple solar panels, but maybe the film will entice people to learn more about community initiatives or seek out governmental action that’s taking place; taking the initiative to know more will only allow them to use that knowledge to find answers to problems and empower them to educate more people in what they can do to help the situation
8. What kinds of action or points of intervention are suggested by the film?
- starting small is always the best place to start: utilizing 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle)
- humans are the biggest agent of change: industrialized countries need to work with countries trying to industrialize to find sustainable options
- new paradigm: consumer choice not only in goods, but products currently in place to use renewable energy (e.g. solar panels)
- states are driving change with the “ballot initiative” by the people, not the representatives in D.C.; start small and set demands from the states, then work on the entire country by showing successes
9. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?
- more information about self-education, as well as political information of where people can start to be involved in the implementation of legislation that will hopefully lead to a nation-wise initiative